Princeton Township moves to raise development fees

By Katie Wagner / Staff Writer
   PRINCETON —  The Princeton Township Committee introduced an ordinance at its Monday meeting that would increase escrow deposits for some categories of land development applications by more than $1,000.
   The ordinance also calls for smaller increases of escrow deposits for other types of land development applications and increases to some land development application fees.
   The increases were recommended by the township’s planning and zoning staff. The application fees cover the administrative side of processing the applications and the escrow fees cover payments for work performed by the various professionals required to review the applications, Township Administrator Jim Pascale said at the meeting.
   "This was an effort to have adequate escrow funds available for the staff," Mr. Pascale said.
   Escrow fees affected by the ordinance would increase anywhere between $2,000 and $5,000.
   The escrow deposit for submitting a conditional use authorization for parking requirements application, for example, would increase by $750, while the minimum deposit for submitting a site plan concept review application would increase by $2,000.
   Some examples of application fee increases include a $25 increase on the cost of submitting a residential permit application for an apartment and a $50 increase for submitting a final site plan approval application.
   "It’s really time to change the initial amount that comes through," the township’s chief financial advisor Kathy Monzo said at the meeting.
   She added that sometimes applicants are confused and "put out a bit" when they’re asked to contribute a little more to the township after they’ve made their escrow deposits.
   "The introduced ordinance will prevent that from happening," Ms. Monzo said.
   The fees are reviewed and updated periodically with some changes to the land development application fees and escrow deposits having been increased as recently as last year, Lee Solow, the township and borough’s planner, said in an e-mail response Wednesday.
   "We typically review our costs and the fees charged in surrounding communities every year or so and then adjust our fees accordingly," Mr. Solow said in the e-mail.
   A public hearing on the ordinance is scheduled for the Oct. 6 Township Committee meeting.
   In other meeting business:
   • The Township Committee adopted a resolution approving the terms of a $70,000 loan from the township to the Washington Oaks at Princeton Condominium Association’s Board of Trustees. During the March 24 meeting, the Township Committee authorized granting the loan to the Board of Trustees through adopting a separate resolution.
   • The Township Committee adopted an ordinance that would increase the maximum fines for violating motor vehicle and traffic regulations not assigned by the state, such as exceeding a road’s weight limit, from $50 to $1,000.
   • The Township Committee tabled a proposal to conduct a study of the financial impacts of installing parking meters in parts of the township.